Intrathoracic fracture-dislocation of the humeral head. Is removal of the humeral head necessary?

1Department of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

2Department of Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Correspondence to Dr Simon Rajendran, simonrajendran{at}gmail.com

Description

We present a case of a 68-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath and right shoulder
pain after falling down a flight of stairs. Chest x-ray revealed multiple rib fractures and a large haemothorax on the right
side (figure 1A). x-Ray of the humerus showed a complex fracture of the surgical neck of the humerus with …